Boskalis appointed as salvor for both damaged tankers in the Gulf of Oman

Papendrecht, 14 June 2019 

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has been appointed as the salvor for both tankers that were hit yesterday morning in the Gulf of Oman in a suspected attack. Shortly after the incidents the insurers of both vessels appointed Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage to salvage the vessels and their cargo.

The situation of the Front Altair with a cargo of naphtha is still worrisome. The crew was able to safely leave the ship and the fire was extinguished yesterday afternoon. A salvage team was flown in to execute the salvage operation on site with accompanying specialist equipment.

The Kokuka Courageous with a methanol cargo on board is now in a stable condition. Here too the crew was able to safely leave the vessel after which the ship was stabilized. A towing connection was successfully established yesterday afternoon and the crew was able to return to the vessel. The vessel is currently being towed to a port in the Gulf region.

The salvage operations are being carried out in close consultation with the relevant local authorities, including the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center (MEMAC).

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors. The company provides creative and innovative all-round solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world. With core activities such as coastal defense, riverbank protection and land reclamation Boskalis is able to provide adaptive and mitigating solutions to combat the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels, as well as delivering solutions for the increasing need for space in coastal and delta regions across the world. The company facilitates the development of offshore energy infrastructure, including renewable wind energy. Boskalis is furthermore active in the construction and maintenance of ports, waterways, access channels and civil infrastructure, thus helping to facilitate trade flows and regional socio-economic development. In addition, Boskalis is a global marine salvage expert and has a number of strategic partnerships in harbor towage and terminal services (Kotug Smit Towage, Keppel Smit Towage, Saam Smit Towage and Smit Lamnalco). With a versatile fleet of more than 900 vessels and floating equipment and 11,300 employees, including associates, Boskalis is creating new horizons around the world.

This press release can also be found on our website www.boskalis.com.